Palestinian residents of the Gaza Strip have expressed bewilderment at the costly mosque construction projects underway in the enclave.
In recent years, several luxurious mosques have appeared in Gaza, costing millions of dollars to patrons. The Imam Shafi'i Mosque in al-Zaytoun cost $3.5 million, and the Al-Hassin Mosque in Gaza City cost $2 million. The construction costs of the al-Khalidi and Salim Abu Muslim mosques amounted to $1 million each. Another expensive project is the luxurious Grand Mosque in Khan Younis, and the new Khalil al-Wazir Mosque is about to open.
Gaza residents complain that the region is in dire need of hospitals and schools, and the luxury of new mosques raises big questions for many, reports bbabo.net citing Al Monitor.
“The Waqf Ministry claims that the patrons who finance the construction of mosques want to spend just this amount of money on them. But why doesn't the ministry tell donors that there areas in Gaza that need donations much more? Mosques can be built cheaper, and the rest of the donations can be spent on the construction of hospitals, schools and residential buildings. A Muslim can pray in any clean place, this does not require expensive decorations,” said Muhammad al-Khalidi, a resident of Gaza.
"We have the right to know why such funds are spent on the Khalil al-Wazir Mosque and other luxurious mosques."
bbabo.Net